Texas House Committee hears TCUP expansion bill!

The Texas House Committee for Public Health held a hearing for HB46, a bill to modestly expand Texas's extremely limited low-THC medical cannabis program.

The Texas Compassionate Use Program ("TCUP") is so restrictive that MPP does not count Texas as a "medical cannabis state." Rep. Ken King (R) sponsors HB46, which would improve the program by:

• issuing eight more licenses to produce low-THC products (for a total of 11),
• allowing dispensing organizations to have satellite storage facilities around the state,
• allowing for tinctures, suppositories, and — when it is medically needed as specified by a doctor — non-smoked inhalation,
• making the standard dosage 20 milligrams of THC, and
• adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition, when the clinician would otherwise prescribe an opioid.

If you live in Texas, ask your legislators to support the expansion of TCUP!

In a closing statement on the legislation, Rep. King expressed his openness to further amendments. His bill would expand TCUP further than the Senate bill that is currently under consideration (SB1505).

The Lt. Governor and his allies in the legislature are attempting to ban federally legal hemp-derived THC products. Whether they succeed or not, there is a moral imperative to expand the TCUP program. Too many Texans have had to rely on an under-regulated hemp program for relief from debilitating conditions. They deserve safe, regulated access through a comprehensive medical cannabis program. H46 is a significant step forward toward that goal, and the sponsor is open to further amendments.